March 26, 2008...5:54 am
Plot Structure
Syd Field utilizes a structure when guiding his students through the beginnings of script witting. It is called the “Basic Film Paradigm“.
The basic premise of the Basic Film Paradigm is simple. You have a line that represents the time span of the movie and you divide that line into three parts. The first part is act I and represents the set up of the movie. The second part is Act II (the confrontation) and represents the conflicts, obstacles and “pinches” that the main character must go through to complete his journey. This act is larger than the others about the same size as both Act I and Act III collectively. This act is by far the most important but is useless if the first and third act are not functional in their supporting rolls. Finally, the third part is of course Act III and is represented by the conclusion.
This is basically what the Film Paradigm looks like. This is not new, it has been a foundation of storytelling for hundreds of years. With that said, some people refuse to use it even though it is time tested. In all actuality it is in every part of life. There is a beginning, middle, and end to all things. So, it does not seem to intelligent to go against the grain of nature.
Homework:
Take your story and see if it applies to the film paradigm model. If it does, you are ahead of the game. If it does not, go through your story and pick out your plot points and move them around so that they do fit the model. Then, utilize the structure to fill in the blanks of your story.
- Introduce your character
- Have a major event that dramatically alters the way your character must act
- Give your characters obstacles to overcome
- have another event that signifies the coming of the end
- resolve the major purpose of the story
It is just that simple (hahaha)
GOOD LUCK!
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